Do gasoline economy gadgets really increase your MPG?

by iced jamb

It hurts to drive in San FranciscoThe City by the Bay is not only famous for “…little cable cars, [that] climb halfway to the stars” in Tony Bennett’s song homage to San Francisco; it is also known by residents as a place where some of the highest gasoline prices are found in the country. Driving a car here definitely hurts pocketbooks in The City.

Increase fuel economy using gas gadgets?As the price for gasoline increases daily, people are trying to extend their miles per gallon by keeping proper pressure in tires or driving more efficiently by not gunning the accelerator.

In some cases, drivers try fuel economy gadgets that promise to increase MPG by simply plugging the devices into the cigarette lighter/AC outlet of their cars.The Fuel Doctor is a quackOne of the latest devices to hit the scene with promises of substantial MPG increases is a device called the Fuel Doctor FD-47 ($59.59). The Fuel Doctor website claims that better MPG is gained:“…through power conditioning of the vehicle’s electrical systems. Conditioned and clean power allows the vehicle’s electronic control unit (ECU), fuel injection and engine timing equipment to operate more efficiently…”

The real world results: NadaTests conducted by Consumer Reports and Car and Driver magazine showed that the Fuel Doctor didn’t do anything to fulfill its promises of increased MPG performance.

Car and Driver magazine said that there was one positive benefit of using the Fuel Doctor:“On the upside, it might help prevent you from smoking in your car.”

Bogus reviews. Bogus devicePositive reviews of the product on Amazon.com were most likely planted by Fuel Doctor staff. It only had two reviews: both from the same individual. In spite of this the product scored a low 2.5 stars out of 5 stars from the Amazon community.

Compendiumarcana.com, a website for electronics hobbyists, disassembled the Fuel Doctor FD-47 and found that the only functional electronics in the device did nothing more than turn the LED displays on and off; in other words, the Fuel Doctor was nothing more than a common light panel.

Save your moneyIn the past 30 years the EPA has conducted tests on over a hundred gasoline economy gadgets. The result: None of them worked.